Barnabas was sent from Jerusalem to pastor the great missionary church at Antioch. We know from Acts that Barnabas was a Hellenistic Jew born and raised on Cyprus. His life had been watched by the church at Jerusalem, and they had deep respect for his godliness and generosity. In a time of great need, he had sold his property on Cyprus and laid it at the apostles’ feet (Acts 4:36–37). Barnabas was known as an encourager. He could be described as cheerful, big-hearted, and loving. He was the perfect choice of a pastor who was needed in the fast-growing church at Antioch. Acts 11:23 says:
When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. (Acts 11:23)
Did you see what Luke records? Barnabas, sent from Jerusalem, had eyes to see “the evidence of the grace of God”! Think about what a grace-energized kindness does to a person.
Barnabas is a crucial character in the New Testament, as he is the first pastor of a gentile church we see in the book of Acts. James pastured in Jerusalem, but that church was primarily Jewish and dealt with those issues for a long time. But a pastor to people steeped in sin, paganism, and without Biblical backgrounds to their culture, that is who Barnabas pastored.
From GEW-17d – Grace-Energized Kindness (070819AM)
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